Red Formosa Azalea

Azalea indica ‘Red Formosa’

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 7b-10b Find Your Zone

Plant Type: Evergreen Flowering Shrub

Height at Maturity: 6-8′

Width at Maturity: 6-8′

Spacing: 4-5′ for solid hedges; 10’+ for space between plants

Growth Habit / Form: Upright, Rounded, Bushy

Growth Rate: Moderate

Flower Color: Fuchsia-Red

Flower Size: 3″

Flowering Period: Spring

Flower Type: Single

Fragrant Flowers: No

Foliage Color: Green

Fragrant Foliage: No

Sun Needs: Full Sun or Mostly Sun, Morning Sun with Dappled or Afternoon Shade, All Day Filtered Sun, Morning Shade with Evening Sun

Water Needs: Average, lower when established

Soil Type: Clay (amended), Loam, Sandy (amended), Silt

Soil Moisture / Drainage: Well Drained Moist

Soil pH: 4.5 – 6.5 (Acid to Slightly Acid)

Maintenance / Care: Low, Average

Attracts: Visual Attention

Resistances: Heat, Humidity, Sun

Description

‘Red Formosa’ is perhaps the least known of the large growing heat and sun tolerant Southern Indica Hybrid Azaleas. We think that makes it special as you won’t see this one growing in as many landscapes across the South. In spring, Red Formosa produces a profusion of large (3-4 inch), flowers with striking fuchsia petals and red freckles red freckles. Unlike most azaleas, Southern Indicas are well known for their ability to tolerate full to mostly sun as well as part sun. Grows more rapidly than other types of azaleas in a large mound 6 to 8 feet tall and wide. A fine selection for a colorful natural hedge or screen in landscape and woodland borders.

Landscape & Garden Uses

Growing 6 to 8 feet tall and wide, Red Formosa Azalea is most useful as a natural hedge or in small to large groupings in landscape borders. The plants perform exceptionally well under tall pine trees. Also ideal for use as accents, corner plants or as espalier against large open walls in home foundation plantings. Lower branches can also be removed to form an attractive small evergreen tree serves well as a focal point in the landscape or large containers. A fine addition to Azalea gardens, purple theme gardens and cottage gardens.

Suggested Spacing: 4 to 5 feet apart for solid hedges; 10 feet apart for space between plants

How To Measure Total Square Feet Of A Planting Area

How Many Plants Needed To Cover A Planting Area?

Note: For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 7b, where this Azalea variety is not winter hardy outdoors, you can enjoy growing it in containers that can be moved indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.

Growing Preferences

Southern Indica Azaleas are easy to grow, preferring a moist but well-drained, acidic soil rich in organic matter and full sun to part shade. That said, though full sun is tolerated, we think all azaleas perform and look their best when receiving some filtered sunlight during the hottest part of summer afternoons. Established plants have good drought tolerance and require little to no pruning.

Helpful Articles

Click on a link below to find helpful advice from our experts on how to plant and care for Azaleas.

Planting Evergreen Azaleas In The Ground & In Pots

Fertilizing & Watering Evergreen Azaleas

Pruning Evergreen Azaleas

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Your Company and employees are the BEST! Every order I have received from you is perfectly packed, and the plants are fresh, vibrant and in in perfect condition. My latest order of 6 one gal. azaleas did not have one single yellow leaf or one broken branch. Your system is perfection. I will not order from another plant seller again. Thank you from a very satisfied customer.—————————————Wow! Thank you! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

These are small, but I can imagine how beautiful this hedge will be in a few years. The plants arrived in healthy condition and are doing well in the ground now. Thanks!————————————————————They grow pretty fast too! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

The shipping was topnotch. My order arrived within a day of it shipping, though it should have considering that it was shipped only 80 miles away. The plants themselves were in excellent condition upon opening the packaging due to being well protected by the packaging. I ordered them in the fall so I can’t say anything about the blooms, however the foliage was very healthy looking, very green. However, most importantly, the roots in the soil were perfectly moist and NOT ROOTBOUND. The Red Formosa azaleas I planted were very easy to plant due to the roots being loose in the soil, NOT tightly bound around the planter pot it arrived in. That was the problem I encountered with the other plants I received. I guess that’s the risk you take with online plant nurseries when someone else selects your plants for you. However the other plants that were rootbound were just “regular” Formosa azaleas and will likely grow just fine anyway, depending on my proper nurturing and care of course…
Anyway, the Red Formosa azaleas I purchased were clearly well taken care of and are a superior product to others I have seen at local nurseries in my area. I am sure they will be beautiful in the future. Thank you Wilson Bros Gardens.———————————————Wow! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I ordered a 6 pack of 1 gallon Red Formosa azaleas. They arrived within a week and I was impressed with how securely packaged and protected the plants were. The soil was moist and the pots were packed with moist paper towels and taped at the opening so that the soil could not fall out. The plants were vibrant and very healthy looking.——————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review! Thanks for the kind words! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG